A very big day

It has been a very big day. Danny arrived safely home to family waiting with open arms. He arrived with an Army escort that provided him the emotional support anyone would need in walking into a situation like this. They are fantastic. Once in the room to visit Mily, Danny was able to see the progress she has made. Sedation was decreased and Mily signed 'I love you' to her son, Ryan and was able to point at a picture card to respond to simple questions (YES - that means her eyes were open, but she had help!!). She remains intubated and sedation has been changed to a different type of medication that is more appropriate for use over a number of days. The CT that was done early this morning shows continued improvement and Mily's ICP's are continuing to normalize. Again - all of this is fantastic; but the journey has just begun - continue praying.

On a much lighter note and for Mily's benefit when she gets to read this at some point in the future, I want to put into writing what has been happening in the waiting room while we are all here in vigil. Millie, Frank, Ryan, Joshua, Leslie, Melissa, Beth, Debbie, Chris, Kim, Victoria, Rebecca, Barbara and LDS church elders have all been here in varying numbers 24/7. We have come together from all points north and united as a family just like Mily always had the knack for pulling people together. I hope that we all made it easier for Danny to come home by being greeted with so much love. Whiling away the hours, we have succumbed to Ryan's uncanny ability (and gloating laughter) to beat us at every game we play - Uno, 13, Crazy 8's, War and the list goes on. He made a trip to the store and came back with Monopoly, Sorry and Scrabble that we have yet to play him at - and lose I'm sure. We have told stories about Mily, laughed and cried and prayed - all of it - together. Mily, baby - we have created bonds with each other that will never be broken; even in this you have the power to make us laugh through our tears and reach out to each other for strength. My dear friend - you are so much more powerful than you know and I simply adore you.

We are working on setting up a fundraiser or avenue for financial donations as these types of events can create severe financial burden. We will update the status of that on this blog as well. If anyone has insider info on how to get that going - we would LOVE to hear from you!